April 2, 1935 – November 6, 2023
Harjeet Kaur Dhaliwal nee Maan, age 88, died peacefully in her home on November 6, 2023, on Orcas Island, WA.
She was predeceased by her late husband, Kartar Singh Dhaliwal, in 2018 and is survived by her daughter, Swaran Kaur; her son-in-law, Bruce Dalusio; her two precious grandchildren, Skylar Kaur and Taurin Singh; her eldest brother Harnek Singh Maan (UK), her sisters Mohinder Joshi, Balbir Kaur and her youngest brother, Balbir Singh (Canada), and her vast extended family in Australia, Canada, India, Malaysia, United States and United Kingdom.
Harjeet was born in April 1935 in Ludhiana (Nanki), India to parents Sajjan Singh Maan (Father) and Jagwant Kaur Thind. Shortly after she was born, the family moved to Tanganyika (now Tanzania), where her father was a railway guard. She moved back to India with her siblings and mother when she was six years old and was raised by her father’s sister (Dhan Kaur) and her husband, Ganga Singh Sekhon. She remained in India for a few years until after the end of WWII and moved back with her newly adopted family to Malaysia. She spoke little English and Malay when she arrived but quickly became multi-lingual. She attended Pudu English Girls School (Kuala Lumpur) at both elementary and secondary levels. Her formal training was in teaching, and during her training, she was arranged to be married to her now-late husband, Kartar Singh.
As a newly married couple, Kartar and Harjeet moved to Singapore in 1960 to pursue their teaching careers. After passing her teaching certification in Singapore, Harjeet taught at Tanjong Rhu Primary School for 16 years, followed by several more years at Temasek Primary School. She loved teaching and was well-respected by her students and colleagues. She formed many lifelong friendships along the way. In 1970, Kartar and Harjeet welcomed their baby girl, Swaran, into their family.
In 1994, Harjeet and her husband migrated to the United States and settled close to family and friends in the state of Florida. They spent retirement traveling the world and devoting much of this time to their Sikh faith. In 2004 they moved to the Oregon coast to be closer to their children and grandchildren and ultimately settled down in the San Juan Islands of Washington.
Harjeet played a huge matriarchal role in the family but was most proud of her role as a grandmother. She was soft-spoken, kind-hearted, meticulous and always the pragmatist. Religion became her solace, particularly after her retirement. She loved to garden, cook and stock up her kitchen with crockery, and crochet, volunteer at the Gurdwara (Sikh temple), and could not resist a sweet dessert. She had a way with words and always wrote the most touching cards from the heart for any occasion. Though no longer with us in body, her spirit and memory will live on in our hearts forever.
In lieu of flowers and cards, donations can be made to Orcas Senior Center, Eastsound, Hospice of the Northwest Foundation, and/or contribution to langar (community kitchen) in any Gurdwara in her honor.
To share memories of Harjeet, please visit: www.evanschapel.com/obituary/harjeet-dhaliwal.
